Synonym Chooser

How does the verb extirpate differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of extirpate are eradicate, exterminate, and uproot. While all these words mean "to effect the destruction or abolition of something," extirpate implies extinction of a race, family, species, or sometimes an idea or doctrine by destruction or removal of its means of propagation.

many species have been extirpated from the area

When is eradicate a more appropriate choice than extirpate?

Although the words eradicate and extirpate have much in common, eradicate implies the driving out or elimination of something that has established itself.

a campaign to eradicate illiteracy

When would exterminate be a good substitute for extirpate?

While in some cases nearly identical to extirpate, exterminate implies complete and immediate extinction by killing off all individuals.

exterminate cockroaches

When can uproot be used instead of extirpate?

The words uproot and extirpate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, uproot implies a forcible or violent removal and stresses displacement or dislodgment rather than immediate destruction.

the war uprooted thousands

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of extirpate Wildlife officials have collared a dozen gray wolves in Northern California in an effort to better understand and manage the species that has made a comeback in the state after being extirpated a century ago. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 Wolves were extirpated in California in the 1920s and only recently began to rebound. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 19 Feb. 2025 To extirpate mountain lions from their farms, settlers used a combination of poison, which would have killed not only pumas but other smaller potential predators, and lioneros—experts at hunting down and killing pumas. Joshua Rapp Learn, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Feb. 2025 The first wolf to be spotted in California since the apex predators were extirpated in the 1920s arrived 13 years ago. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 30 Nov. 2024 See All Example Sentences for extirpate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for extirpate
Verb
  • The species was largely eradicated in Connecticut because of habitat loss and over-trapping by the 1900’s.
    Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2025
  • Measles, once largely eradicated in the United States, has resurged in unvaccinated communities, with outbreaks reported in states surrounding Wisconsin.
    Anna Kleiber, jsonline.com, 30 July 2025
Verb
  • On Wednesday, following the reverse split, shares surged and more than erased their prior day losses.
    Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • However, the Rangers erased the Yankees’ three-run lead in the bottom of the second, as former pinstriped prospects Josh Smith and Ezequiel Duran — traded for Joey Gallo in 2021 — had RBI knocks off Max Fried, with the latter tying the game.
    Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Even after slavery was abolished, some families who sought to find their kin never did.
    Bea L. Hines, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2025
  • New York state, where Gendron pleaded guilty to 15 state charges, including multiple counts of murder, abolished capital punishment in 2004.
    Christopher Cann, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But when our home was destroyed, our studio lost, and the war displaced us to Khanyounis’s tent camps, cooking became less about flavor and more about survival.
    Hamada Shaqoura, Time, 7 Aug. 2025
  • There were 25 diesel buses that were destroyed per the grant regulations, Young said.
    Harley Walls, Arkansas Online, 7 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Extirpate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/extirpate. Accessed 19 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on extirpate

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